PKL 12: Three players Patna Pirates should target in auction

A number of key players have been surprisingly released by the Patna Pirates.

It is not the first time that the Patna Pirates have made or have been potentially forced to make surprising calls ahead of the Pro Kabaddi League auctions. But here they are, having to again scramble and get their key players back from the previous edition.

Not many had predicted this before the Pro Kabaddi League Season 11, but a young Patna Pirates outfit punched above their weight to finish as runners-up. In the league stage, they played out thirteen wins, seven losses and two ties, to finish fourth on the table with 93 points.

Following that, they defeated U Mumba in the eliminator and Dabang Delhi in the semifinal, but went down against the Haryana Steelers in the final.

Going into the upcoming auctions, set to be held on 31st May and 1st June in Mumbai, the three-time champions have released as many as fourteen players, retaining only half that number, a stat which is surprising for a team which had a successful campaign.

They have in their ranks currently two Elite Retained Players, one Retained Young Player and four Existing Young Players. The notable names among these are Ayan Lohchab (who finished as the fifth-best raider in his debut season), Hamid Mirzaei Nader and M. Sudhakar. The list of released players includes Devank Dalal, Ankit Jaglan and Deepak Singh.

Also Read: Three players Jaipur Pink Panthers should target in auction

With the team needing rebuilding, new coach Anup Kumar will have his task cut out at the auctions. Here are three players the Patna Pirates might target on PKL 12 auction day:

3- Deepak Singh

The Patna Pirates had one of the most cohesive defensive units in the league and consequently secured the third-highest number of tackle points in the season. One of the key contributors to this was Deepak Singh, who was at the top in the list for the most number of points by a right cover.

After scoring 43 tackle points in just 14 matches for the Gujarat Giants in PKL 10, he showed that he is built for the long run, racking up 64 tackle points in 25 matches for the three-time champions.

Deepak was also used as a raider in the time of crisis, scoring 12 raid points, including a super raid. Hence, Patna would want to bring Deepak back into the side, potentially with the use of the Final Bid Match (FBM) Card.

2- Fazel Atrachali

The Patna Pirates had a young side in the previous edition. While they enjoyed great success, they sometimes failed to close out matches and caved in during crunch moments. Hence, they would love to have an experienced campaigner as their skipper, and there is no better choice than Fazel Atrachali, the most prolific defender in the league’s history.

Cumulatively, the Sultan has a tally of 545 tackle points in 188 matches. In PKL 11, despite the lack of support from others, he accumulated 59 tackle points in 19 matches. Interestingly, the Iranian legend was an integral part of the Pirates’ outfit when they lifted the trophy in the fourth season. A potential homecoming could well be on the cards.

1- Devank Dalal

After the PKL 11 auctions, no one would have expected the Pirates to finish at the top in the list of raid points. But the duo of Devank Dalal and Ayan Lohchab were in a different league of their own. The former especially redefined consistency, amassing 301 raid points in 25 matches, ending as the best raider of the season by far.

Among his 18 super 10s, most of them ranged close to 15 points and higher. Tall, powerful and fast, he has all the aspects of an ideal raider. While he was surprisingly released into the auction pool, it’s a no-brainer that the three-time champions would want to sign Devank back into the squad and can use an FBM card for the same. However, it is going to be a tall order, as there is likely to be a fierce bidding war for the raider.

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